Windows 8
Consumer Preview
Product guide
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Microsoft, Active Directory, BitLocker, Direct2D, Direct3D, Expression, Internet Explorer, SmartScreen, Visual Studio,
Windows, Windows Server, Windows 7, XNA are trademarks of the Microsoft group of companies.
All other trademarks are property of their respective owners.
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Contents
Windows reimagined
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Windows 7, only better
Beautiful design
The new Start screen
Touch or keyboard and mouse: your choice
The new language of touch
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All the apps you want
Apps work together
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Windows Store
Designed for discovery
An unprecedented opportunity for developers
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Windows 8 is cloud-connected
Your Windows everywhere
Connected to your people
Connected to your files
Connect your apps to the cloud
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Windows on a wide range of hardware
Longer life
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Internet Explorer – reimagined for Windows 8
Less browser, more web
Fast and fluid
A more trusted web
Standards-based
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Windows 8 for business
Focused on business and people
Ready and productive practically anywhere
Better data security
Built on a solid foundation
Rock-solid
More for power users
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Developing
for Windows 8
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Apps take center stage
Metro style app principles
App contracts
Fast and fluid
Tailored experiences
Tiles are connected and alive
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Build apps using what you know
Extensible and compatible with existing frameworks
Powerful tools and all the resources you need
Line-of-business app development
Hyper-V
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Broad reach, flexibility, and transparency of the Windows Store
Selling in a global marketplace
Flexible business models
Transparent terms and onboarding process
Your personal app dashboard
Designed for discovery
Best economics
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Windows 8 Consumer Preview is here
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Windows
reimagined
Welcome to the Windows® 8 Consumer Preview. Windows 8 has been reimagined to focus
on your life. The beautiful, fast, and fluid design is perfect for a range of hardware: from
compact, touch-enabled slates and lightweight laptops, to large, powerful all-in-ones with
high-definition screens. It’s smooth, intuitive, and gives you instant access to your people,
apps, and stuff, so you spend less time searching and more time doing.
You’ll love browsing through the Windows Store and downloading apps to help you work
more efficiently, or install the latest games and compete with friends. Apps can work
together, too, so you can share photos, maps, contacts, links, and whatever else you want
faster and easier.
No matter what task you want to complete, Windows 8 helps you get it done quickly. It’s
fast—whether you’re completing a project or playing a game. Windows 8 starts quickly
and uses less memory so there’s more room for your apps and data. Windows 8 is cloudconnected so you can access your photos, documents, and settings from wherever you are,
on any Windows 8 PC.
The new Windows 8 Consumer Preview Start screen
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Windows 8 has the flexibility you need. You can use a touch screen or a keyboard and
mouse, and you can switch anytime.
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Windows 7, only better
Behind the bold, new look of Windows 8, is the rock-solid foundation you’ve come to
expect from Windows® 7. Immerse yourself in the exciting features of a new generation
of PCs while enjoying the full power of Windows. In addition to the sleek, new look of the
Start screen, Windows 8 incorporates the desktop that you’re already familiar with. In the
desktop, you’ll see that the settings, devices, and features you used in Windows 7 are still
there. You can run older apps, too.
And just like Windows 7, security and reliability is built into Windows 8. Everything that was
great about Windows 7, we made even better.
Beautiful design
Windows 8 has a bold new style that’s sleek and modern, and it’s been beautifully designed.
From the clean look of the words on your screen to the way apps animate, the experience is
new and the way it works is intuitive, so you can get started right away.
Click the Desktop tile to get to the familiar Windows desktop
The new Start screen
The new Start screen has all of the information you care about in one place, such as your
contacts, the weather, and the next appointment on your calendar. Windows 8 is truly
yours: websites, playlists, photo albums, contacts, and your favorite apps are front and
center. Because you decide how to organize and group things on the screen, viewing and
interacting with content is faster than ever.
The tiles on your Start screen are brimming with content, and they change and update
in real time so you can see what’s going on and stay on top of things. You can share and
connect with other people in a couple of clicks, and get real-time updates about things
like news, sports, and what your friends are up to. Check your schedule or get the latest
weather forecast—all without searching for information. Tiles are a quick way to see it all.
Launch apps, switch between tasks, and check notifications without digging for information.
It’s all right here on the Start screen.
Windows 8 also incorporates the PC desktop that you’re already familiar with. In the desktop,
you’ll see that the settings and features you used in Windows 7 are still there.
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Touch or keyboard and mouse: your choice
Windows 8 is hands-on. On touch-enabled PCs, the things you used to do with a mouse
and keyboard are now easy to do with touch. You can switch between apps, organize your
Start screen, and pan and zoom. With the innovative touch keyboard, you can navigate,
type, and interact on the go.
The touch keyboard has two modes designed to suit the way you work. It’s a full-sized
touch keyboard with large buttons that converts to a unique thumb keyboard so it’s easy
to use when you want to take it with you. This flexibility makes it more comfortable. Typing
feels natural whether you’re sitting down or walking around.
The innovative thumb keyboard makes typing on portable devices easier
The Windows 8 keyboard speaks your language. On touch-enabled PCs, the keyboard
layout automatically adjusts to the language you choose for Windows. Your language
settings apply to the whole PC rather than just certain apps, so you can communicate
effectively right from the start.
Windows 8 is equally at home with a mouse and keyboard. You can choose how to
interact with your PC. Plug in a keyboard and mouse and you have familiar methods of
getting to your apps. People work in different ways and Windows 8 adapts to your needs.
So whether you want to type and click, or swipe and tap, you can navigate easily with
Windows 8. The choice is yours.
Type naturally with the touch keyboard
The touch keyboard in Windows 8 helps you speed up your typing and makes it more
accurate. The keyboard technology is designed to increase efficiency and reduce mistakes.
If you mistype a word, Windows will suggest words as you type so you can get it right
with a single tap.
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The new language of touch
Pinch or stretch to zoom
Zooming provides a way to jump to the beginning, end, or a
specific location within a list. You can start zooming by pinching
or stretching two fingers on the screen.
Swipe from the right or left edge for system commands
Swiping from the right side of the screen reveals the charms with
system commands.
Swiping from the left brings up previously used apps.
Mouse and keyboard equivalent: Hold down the control key
on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel to grow or shrink
an item on the screen.
On touch-enabled PCs, Windows 8 touch interactions let you manipulate the things on your
screen in a way that feels comfortable. Here are a few common Windows 8 gestures.
Rotate to turn
Rotating two or more fingers turns an object. You can turn the
whole screen by 90 degrees when you rotate your device.
Mouse equivalent: Place the mouse pointer in the lower-right
corner of the screen
Mouse equivalent: Support for rotating an object depends on
whether the specific app supports it.
Press and hold to learn
You can see detailed information without having to commit to an
action. In some cases, pressing and holding opens a menu with
more options.
Swipe from the bottom or top edge for app commands
App commands are revealed by swiping from the bottom or top
edge. Swiping from the top to the bottom of the screen lets you
dock or close the current app.
Mouse equivalent: Hover over an item to see more options.
Mouse equivalent: Right-click on the app to see the apps
commands.
Tap to perform an action
Tapping something causes an action, such as launching an app,
following a link, or performing a command.
Mouse equivalent: Left-click on an item to perform an action.
Slide to drag
This is mostly used to pan or scroll through lists and pages, but
you can use it for other interactions too, such as moving an
object or for drawing and writing.
Mouse equivalent: Click, hold, and drag to pan or scroll. Also,
when users use a mouse and keyboard, a scroll bar appears at
the bottom of the screen to enable horizontal navigation.
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All the apps
you want
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Apps are the heart of Windows 8. From the moment you first use Windows 8, you’ll
have a set of built-in apps for the things you do most. Beautifully designed for your
highly-connected lifestyle, these apps integrate with the services you already use.
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Apps work together
Windows 8 makes it easier for you to do the things you love because it allows apps to
work together so you can share information between them. In the Photos app, select a
picture from an album and email it to your one of your contacts using the Mail app. Even
better, Windows 8 enables any app—if you so choose—to have the power to consume your
content in Microsoft SkyDrive®, lets you share with any of your contacts in the People app,
and makes it easy to send mail to anyone you know.
The more apps you have, the more you can do. For example, without any apps, searching in
Windows 8 will search only files and settings. With your personal set of apps installed, the
search will include the content in your apps, so you can find books on Amazon, movies on
Netflix, information on Bing, and more. You can watch, buy, or explore in ways that work for
you. So go ahead and add a lot of apps. The more you add, the better they work together.
Use built-in apps for the things you do the most
With Windows 8, your entire PC is cloud-connected. You’ll have new Mail, Calendar,
Microsoft SkyDrive®, Photos, People, and Messaging apps that are connected to the
services you use, just by adding them to your Microsoft account.
Mail allows you to see all of your mail in one place, whether it’s Hotmail, Gmail or your
company’s Exchange mail.
Just like the Mail app, Calendar combines your information into a single view and enables
you to have one view of the day, week or month, by pulling together your multiple calendars.
With Microsoft SkyDrive® you never need to worry about being able to access your
documents and photos because when they’re in your SkyDrive, you can access them
seamlessly from any device.
Photos puts your pictures at your fingertips. Your albums from Facebook, Flickr, and
Microsoft SkyDrive®, and of course your PC, are there when you connect your Microsoft
account to these services.
The People app is your most complete address book. You can include contacts from
Hotmail, Messenger, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Gmail, and others. Quickly see what’s new,
share an update, comment, or initiate a conversation.
Messaging makes it easy to chat with all your friends on Messenger and Facebook.
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Windows Store
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With the new Windows Store, you’ll be able to browse and compare thousands of apps, all
grouped in easy-to-find categories. They’ll be organized in the Store in a way that makes
them easy to find the ones that interest you. We highlight great apps, provide quick access
to frequently downloaded apps, and show you how other people have rated apps. You’ll
always know what’s interesting, new, and popular.
All of the apps you’ll see in the Store for Windows 8 Consumer Preview are free. After
Windows 8 is available, there will also be lots of apps that you can buy at different price
points. You won’t have to worry about buying something you don’t want because you
can try before you buy, if the app supports it. If you try an app and like it, you can buy it
seamlessly and continue using the full app. You won’t waste time or lose your place.
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An unprecedented opportunity for developers
Windows 8 represents the single biggest platform opportunity for app developers. The
business terms of the Windows Store represent a developer-first point of view. You get
access to millions of potential customers around the world, development choices that let
you use the skills you already have, rich platform capabilities for building Metro style apps,
business terms that maximize your revenue opportunity, and flexible business models
for the apps you create. Windows 8 and the Windows Store provide an unprecedented
opportunity for you to imagine, build, and sell your apps.
You can choose from a variety of apps in the Windows Store
After you decide, you can buy with peace of mind because before an app makes it to the
Windows Store, it’s screened and checked for viruses.
You can download your apps on more than one Windows 8 PC so there’s no need to buy
it twice. That’s because after you install an app from the Windows Store, you can sign in to
the Store on up to five other PCs and see a list of all of the apps you own. You can pick and
choose the apps you want to install on other PCs without having to search for and install
them individually.
Designed for discovery
The Windows Store is designed to make it easy to discover apps without getting lost. The
apps take center stage. Tools like Search, Category browsing, and lists of top apps help you
find the apps you want. Landing pages spotlight compelling apps, and categories like New
releases, Top paid, Top free, and Rising stars help organize the catalog. Editors’ choices
highlight new and different great apps every week.
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Windows 8 is
cloud-connected
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Sign in to your Windows 8 PC with your Microsoft account and you’re immediately
connected to the people, files, and settings you care about. Your PC comes to life with
all the things that make Windows yours, including your Start page, themes, language
preferences, and browser favorites. You can connect your favorite services to your
Microsoft account, too—services like Microsoft Hotmail, Microsoft Messenger, Facebook,
LinkedIn, Twitter, and more. And you can immediately get to your photos, docs, and other
files, whether they’re on Microsoft SkyDrive®, Facebook, Flickr, or other services.
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Your Windows everywhere
Sign in and your device is instantly alive because your personalization, desktop background,
and settings are all there. Whether you set it up perfectly for you or change it often, when
you sign in, even a brand-new PC lights up with everything that makes Windows yours.
Anyone you share a PC with can have a personalized, cloud-connected experience through
their own Microsoft account. Windows 8 gives you a seamless experience between your
devices and your personal cloud services.
Connected to your files
Your Microsoft account is like a portable, personal PC that appears on any Windows 8
device you’re using. You’ll be ready to pick up where you left just by signing in. Here’s
another reason to put files in the cloud: with an Internet connection, photos and other files
on Microsoft SkyDrive® are essentially as accessible as anything on your PC, and you can
access them from any web-connected device.
Start a project on one PC, and finish it on another. When you use the cloud to store your
information, the boundaries between devices dissolve. Your apps, games, music, photos,
files, and settings aren’t stored on one device, they’re in one place: the cloud.
Connected to your people
Use mail and messaging apps to communicate with all your friends, family, and coworkers.
And you won’t need to invite them twice. If you have contacts all over the place, you’re
in luck because whether you originally added a contact in Hotmail, Messenger, Facebook,
Twitter, Gmail, or some other service, if you choose to connect them, that contact is
available in your apps as soon as you sign in to your Microsoft account. You can have a fully
connected address book with the People app. See the people you care about, their updates,
and all the different ways to communicate and share with them—all in one place. And you
won’t have to worry about losing your contacts. If you get a new Windows 8 PC or Windows
Phone, the People app is your most complete address book.
SkyDrive and an Internet connection give you access to practically everything on your PC
Connect your apps to the cloud
Developers can take advantage of the services Microsoft provides so their apps will light up
when they’re connected to the cloud. When developers connect apps to the cloud using the
Live SDK, they can take advantage of single sign-on, which gets users even deeper into their
app experience because they’ll be able to more easily store data and communicate with
their friends and family.
The People app keeps you connected to the ones you care about
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Windows
on a wide range
of hardware
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Touch devices are convenient and fun, but they don’t always have all the features you need.
With Windows 8, you don’t have to choose between a touch device and a PC because you
can have it both ways. Prefer a mouse and keyboard? Go right ahead—Windows 8 will run
on amazing hardware, from tablets to laptops to all-in-ones with large, high-definition
screens. Whether you like to stay put or work on the go, you can enjoy the power,
convenience, and versatility of Windows.
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Longer life
Power requirements in Windows 8 are lower, data transfer is faster, and Bluetooth LE
delivers low-power wireless connectivity for longer battery life. Lower power requirements
are also helped by the growing number of energy-efficient devices that use Wi-Fi Direct to
provide connectivity between PCs and devices.
With the new class of ultrathin PCs and tablets that turn on quickly, you can run much
longer on a single charge than with older hardware. That means you can stay connected so
your PC is ready when you are. Battery life is longer and connections are stronger. You’ll be
able to find a device to suit you for work or play.
From mobile slates to powerful all-in-ones, Windows 8 is available on a range of hardware
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Internet Explorer –
reimagined for
Windows 8
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With Windows® Internet Explorer® 10 Consumer Preview we reimagined the browser to
create a new experience designed specifically for your Windows 8 device. It provides an
edge-to-edge, fast, and fluid experience that’s all about less browser and more web.
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Internet Explorer 10 puts your websites front and center
All of your open sites in one convenient location
Less browser, more web
A more trusted web
Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview is the only browser to dedicate your entire screen to
your websites. The web is literally edge-to-edge. There only when you need them, browser
tabs and navigation controls appear and then quietly get out of the way when you don’t
want them anymore.
Fast and fluid
With Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview, the web is fast. By taking advantage of
Windows 8 and your device’s hardware, browsing with Internet Explorer is as fast and fluid as
everything else on your Windows 8 device. Every navigation, every action you want to do on
the web, is a swipe or a tap away, and it all feels instant. And with the continued innovations
around hardware acceleration, Internet Explorer allows web developers and designers to
build increasingly rich and immersive web experiences that run as fast as built-in apps on
your Windows 8 PC.
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Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview continues to provide a trusted browsing experience,
helping to keep you safe from the real-world security and privacy concerns that come
with the modern web. Building on the security platform of Windows and harnessing
SmartScreen® Filter, Internet Explorer is recognized as a leader in socially-engineered
malware and phishing protection, and it will help keep you more secure when browsing the
web. Internet Explorer gives you choice and better control over your online privacy with
innovative Tracking Protection privacy controls.
Standards-based
Internet Explorer has one underlying platform that supports HTML5 and enables the
same markup to work across many other modern browsers. And with extensive support
for additional standards spanning HTML5, CSS3, and EcmaScript5, Internet Explorer 10
Consumer Preview provides developers a standards-based platform they can use to write
increasingly rich and beautiful sites that are free of plug-ins.
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Windows 8
for business
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The way people work has changed dramatically during the last decade. People use
technology in the home and at work interchangeably. They’re mobile and expect
access from anywhere. Technology at home is rapidly becoming central and people
don’t want to give up the convenience of their personal devices and services when
they enter the workplace.
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Focused on business and people
Built on the solid foundation of Windows 7, Windows 8 helps businesses unleash the full
power of their employees while meeting their expectations of technology. With seamless
connections to people and information, full-screen immersive apps, and built-in malware
resistance, strong authentication, and data encryption, Windows 8 provides a great
experience along with a more secure and manageable platform.
Businesses can create their own apps for Windows 8 that are immersive and enhance
worker productivity. Critical line-of-business apps can benefit from an immersive full screen,
allowing workers to easily interact with the app. Apps that support a snapped view allow
workers to multitask between immersive applications.
Windows 8 helps bridge the gap between people who want a more personal and
meaningful experience and IT Pros who want a more secure, manageable operating system.
Ready and productive practically anywhere
With Windows 8, it’s easier for workers to get connected and stay connected. IT Pros can
ensure that corporate data is safer and more secure. Great new features and enhancements
mean that road warriors can take their Windows 8 computers with them, confident that
the built-in Wi-Fi and mobile broadband solutions can help them stay connected whether
they’re on-site with a customer, waiting for a flight, or working from a branch office.
Built-in mobile broadband features in Windows 8 natively supports the 3G and 4G
telecommunication that enable workers to connect to the Internet immediately. Windows
8 mobile broadband support can help businesses keep data usage costs low with builtin mobile broadband metering. As mobile workers move between locations, Windows 8
automatically uses Wi-Fi hotspots if they’re available.
Windows To Go allows IT Pros to provide workers with secure access to a corporate
operating system and apps in situations when a device or network is out of the IT
department’s control. Windows 8 includes the capability to provide users with a full
corporate copy of Windows (along with a user’s business apps, data, and settings) on a
USB storage device. When users insert their device into any Windows 7 or Windows 8
compatible PC and restart the PC, they get their entire personal environment and can
operate as a fully managed device. When they sign out, they can remove the USB device,
and it’s ready to use on another PC.
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Windows Server 8 and Active Directory Domain Services allow remote users to
more securely and seamlessly access resources inside of a corporate network through
DirectAccess, without having to launch a separate connection, such as a virtual private
network (VPN), to the corporate network.
Better data security
Sensitive data is an asset that needs to be controlled and managed. With strong checks
to ensure that operating system components are kept safer, malware and other types of
malicious software have much less of a chance to take over a PC than ever before.
Trusted Boot validates the integrity of Windows as it starts. Secure Boot requires UEFI
2.3.1 firmware, and it can be used to help prevent any malware from starting before the
operating system is up and running. Antimalware is loaded in advance of all non-critical
Windows components. This means that malware, such as rootkits, are less able to hijack the
boot process or hide from antimalware software.
Measured boot validates, signs, and stores boot information in the Trusted Platform
Module (TPM) chip. This enables a remote service to validate a computer’s integrity. This
process is called attestation.
BitLocker® drive encryption helps protect corporate data on mobile PCs that include a TPM
chip. BitLocker now encrypts hard drives more quickly, helping to keep data safe without
significantly interrupting worker productivity.
AppLocker® is ideal for businesses that currently use Group Policy to manage their
Windows PCs. AppLocker is used to restrict the types of files that a user or a group is
allowed to use. This helps protect users from inadvertently deleting or sharing sensitive
corporate information.
SmartScreen® Services are a set of sophisticated technologies that help protect users
from phishing and socially engineered malware attacks so they can browse the web with
confidence. Additionally, when downloading a program from the web, SmartScreen uses
reputation data to remove unnecessary warnings for well-known files and shows warnings
when the download is at higher risk of being malicious.
Windows 8 provides a great opportunity for businesses to empower their workforce. With
both new and improved features that support working remotely, easier management for
administrators, and a natural and inviting user interface, Windows 8 can help workers be
more productive and help keep data more secure.
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Built on a
solid foundation
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Most people don’t think about what’s under the hood—and you certainly don’t need to
with Windows 8. You can rest assured that Windows 8 has the flexibility to meet your needs.
It runs on different hardware systems, such as ultra-thin, ultra-light, and all-in-ones, so you
can choose a device that suits you.
If you’re used to working with apps like Microsoft Office and Adobe Photoshop, they’ll run
smoothly with the full power of Windows on the Windows 8 desktop. From there, all the
familiar Windows 7 apps and devices are at your fingertips. It’s just as efficient as Windows
7 and it’s got the performance you expect from Windows.
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Rock-solid
Windows 8 is built on the rock-solid foundation of Windows 7, but it’s been improved on
all fronts. You can install Windows 8 on the same hardware that powers Windows Vista and
Windows 7, and you’ll love how it works on new devices too. We’ve designed Windows
8 with Windows 7 apps in mind too because we know people often have older apps they
need to use.
Speed. No matter what device you’re using, you’ll notice improved performance and system
reliability. Even on lower-power systems, Windows 8 is responsive. Your PC starts quickly,
battery life is longer, your apps run faster, and you’re more secure from start to finish.
Compatibility. Getting going with Windows 8 is a breeze. Windows 8 automatically
supports a wide range of devices, including printers, cameras, media players, and displays.
It’s designed so when you plug in your device, it works. If a device has a companion
app and you’ve turned on device companion apps during setup, you’ll receive the app
automatically so you can share photos, connect with friends, and much more. And because
Windows requires less memory, there’s more room to run your apps.
More
for power users
If you want to push the limits of your PC experience, we’ve invested in the features most often
used by power users. The new, flexible options help you use your PC efficiently and quickly.
File management. Windows Explorer is enhanced to make file management and navigation
straightforward. The ribbon organizes Windows Explorer and reveals features that used to
be hidden. We’ve brought back a long-lost favorite: the Up button. It’s easier to view and
manage all of your file operations in one place.
Task Manager. The new Task Manager is a handy dashboard that you can use to monitor
and control your PC so you always know what’s going on. Color-coded tiles present
information in a way that’s easy to understand. You can keep track of resources efficiently
and in real-time with graphs and details about processes, apps, and history.
Connected. Many apps are better when you’re connected. Windows helps keep you
connected by switching to the network with the best quality so you can have a great
experience with your PC. Windows 8 provides a number of new features that makes it
effortless to connect your PC to available networks and keeps you connected as you
change locations. Windows 8 connects to one network at a time and prioritizes networks
that are typically less expensive and faster (for example, Ethernet over Wi-Fi over WiMAX
over mobile broadband). Windows also automatically switches you from a lower-prioritized
network to a higher-prioritized network if one becomes available.
Better Protected. Windows Defender provides antimalware protection so you can be more
secure from start up to shut down. It monitors and helps protect your PC against viruses
and other malware in real time and detects and removes malware if your PC becomes
infected. Windows 8 provides new ways for antimalware software to reduce its impact on
system performance. Windows 8 works together with antimalware software to help keep
your PC safe.
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Easy-to-read data about your PC’s performance
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Straightforward app management
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Multiple monitors. If you’re one of the many people who use multiple monitors, you’ll find
it more flexible than ever. With many types of hardware, you can display the Start screen on
one monitor and the desktop on the others. Desktop backgrounds can be different on each
monitor or can stretch across your screens.
Windows 8 Consumer Preview works seamlessly with multiple monitors
Restore. Windows 8 comes with a number of options to restore your PC. You can refresh
your PC, which keeps all your documents, accounts, personal settings, and apps but returns
Windows to its original state. If you want to completely reset your PC, you can restore your
PC to the state it was in when you first got it. You can create a reset disk, too, which is great
for power users who’ve invested time to personalize and configure their PCs. Restoring from
USB drive is a good option if you have a tablet without a disk drive or you just want to save
space and have a convenient backup tool in case your hard drive is damaged.
Windows Update. Windows 8 keeps your PC up to date while staying out of your way. If you
turn on Windows Update during setup and your PC needs an update, Windows can install it
when you’re not using your PC or at a time you’ve specified. When an update requires you
to restart your PC, we’ve given you more time to act on it—so you can pick a time that works
for you. That means you’ll see fewer prompts about maintenance, updates, or restarting. You
won’t be slowed down by interruptions, and your PC will keep performing well.
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Developing
for Windows 8
If you’re a developer, Windows® 8 Consumer Preview gives you an amazing platform to
With Windows 8, you can leverage your existing skills and code assets to create Metro style
reach the millions of people around the world who use Windows every day to be more
apps for your customers.
productive and creative, and to have fun. With Windows 8 Consumer Preview, you have
unprecedented access and opportunity to reach that worldwide customer base early.
Windows 8 represents the most significant platform opportunity available to developers,
with a chance to reach millions of people with your amazing Metro style apps.
• Web developers can use their HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript skills, as well as their experience
with third-party JavaScript libraries.
• Microsoft® .NET Framework and Silverlight® developers can use their XAML, C#, and Visual
Apps are at the center of the Windows 8 experience. They’re alive with activity and vibrant
content. Users are immersed in your full-screen, Metro style apps, where they can focus on
Basic® skills.
• Developers looking for maximum performance for their games and other graphics-intensive
their content, rather than on the operating system.
apps can use the power of Microsoft® DirectX® 11.
Signing up to sell your app in the Windows Store means you can tap into the worldwide
With Windows 8, you’re ready to imagine, build, and sell the next great app to the entire
user base of Windows, even at the Consumer Preview stage. You’ll draw from a wealth of
world.
new tools and services, including updated versions of Microsoft Visual Studio Express,
®
®
Microsoft® Expression Blend®, an optimized Windows 8 SDK, and personalized app
telemetry data, so you can develop and deploy apps faster and more proﬁtably.
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Apps take
center stage
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Windows 8 makes it easy to build full-screen Metro style apps that are fun to use and
explore. Flexible and easy-to-use controls, built-in animations, and layout options make
your apps feel fast and fluid. Live tiles on the Windows Start screen display information
from your website or service and help ensure your app is useful—even when it’s not
running. When users acquire additional apps, their experience is enriched when those
apps participate in app contracts. For example, when an app implements the Search
contract, users can search its content from an unrelated app. Users can also choose to
share content from one app to another. And apps can be optimized to the user’s context,
hardware, and preferences.
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Metro style app principles
More than just an app platform, Metro style is a design philosophy that helps you build
attractive, easy-to-use apps that will delight your customers with their intuitive and
common interaction model. Some principles common to great Metro style apps include:
Fast and fluid. User interactions and transitions are quick and intuitive, and animations are
deliberate and purposeful.
Support for multiple states. Metro style apps support a full-screen, immersive state, and a
minimal, snapped view that runs while a second app takes up the majority of screen space.
Support for the right contracts. App contracts provide a way for apps to work together
that lets users search across apps or choose to share content from one app to another.
Their experience improves as users add more apps that support contracts to their PC.
Live tiles. Useful information appears on the app’s tile on the Start screen even when the
app isn’t running.
Settings and data roam through the cloud. Users get a great experience, regardless of
where they sign in.
Embracing these principles makes your app more usable, increases its visual appeal, and
helps you deliver an experience that’s consistent and familiar to your users.
App contracts
App contracts are a way for users to seamlessly search across and share content between
unrelated apps. They extend the usefulness of your app by eliminating the need to work
with varying standards or app-specific APIs to access data stored or created by another app,
all while keeping users in your branded experience. You don’t need to know anything about
the target app other than its declared support for the target contract – it just works.
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Users can search the content in your app and all other apps that support the Search contract
Windows 8 provides support for several contracts, including:
Search. When you implement the Search contract, users can search not only your app’s
content but content from other apps that participate in Search as well.
Sharing. The Share contract lets you help users share content from your app with another
app or service, and vice versa, if the user chooses to do so.
PlayTo. You can help your users play digital media through connected, DLNA-certified
devices from within your app by supporting the PlayTo contract.
App to App picking. Lets users pick files from one app directly from within another app.
Settings. Lets you provide quick, in-context access to settings that affect the user’s app
experience, including whether your app can access the user’s location
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Fast and fluid
With Windows 8, we created a touch-optimized platform that you can interact with in
an intuitive way. As a result, interactions with the operating system and UI elements feel
natural and responsive. Animations and transitions are used deliberately, and effects are
subtle and designed to enhance the connection between you and the PC. App layout and
presentation are simplified with easy-to-use layout APIs and presentation controls
The built-in animations library lets you create smooth, animated experiences from
a comprehensive set of predeﬁned animations that are lively and unique. With 3-D
transformations you can add smooth, ﬂuid, visual experiences like perspective transforms
and ﬂipping elements on and off the screen.
Flexible layout makes app layout easy and consistent with Windows 8 because it supports
multiple layout modes. FlexBox lets you create containers that expand proportionally to
ﬁll any remaining space in a layout. Grid layout gives you the ability to position and size
content elements into cells on a grid structure that you deﬁne with ﬁxed, fractional, or
automatic units. Multi-Column Layout mimics newspaper and magazine layouts.
Semantic zoom is a touch-optimized way to navigate through large content collections.
Users can pan or scroll through their content, and then zoom in or out to view more or less
information. This lets apps present content in a more tactile, visual, and informative way
than traditional navigation and layout patterns like tabs.
Tailored experiences
Building experiences that take full advantage of the latest hardware is easy with Windows
8. Sensor APIs help you build apps that are tailored to the user’s context, and apps scale
gracefully to support both compact and large form factors.
The Windows 8 sensor platform is an end-to-end solution that includes support for both
desktop and Metro style app development. The Win32 API lets you integrate sensor data
without writing a lot of code. Windows Runtime Components let you quickly access input
from eight sensors, including accelerometer, geolocation, inclinometer, gyrometer, compass,
ambient-light, orientation, and simple orientation of a device.
Windows 8 scales apps to ensure consistent physical sizes for UI elements regardless of
the pixel density of the screen. As a developer, your work is minimal—just provide scalable
resources and Windows takes care of the rest.
Tiles are connected and alive
Through tiles on the Start screen, apps are alive with activity and can deliver vibrant content,
even when they’re not running. Using live tiles, your app can provide useful, at-a-glance
data to the user, while minimizing battery usage. Windows Push Notiﬁcation Services (WNS)
enables your app to receive messages and send them to your app’s live tile or provide a
notiﬁcation to the user.
Live tiles bring your app to life, even when it’s not running
Semantic Zoom helps you navigate large content collections
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Build apps using
what you know
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Windows 8 lets you build Metro style apps using a variety of programming languages and
tools. You can program your apps using C#, C++, or Visual Basic, while using XAML to
declaratively describe the user interface. Or you can build apps using web technologies
like HTML5, CSS3, and JavaScript. Developers looking for the best possible performance on
Windows 8 can use Microsoft® DirectX® 11.1 with C++.
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Extensible and compatible with existing frameworks
The new Windows 8 app models feature native extensibility, which you can use to build
your own reusable component libraries. You ﬁrst build your own custom components with
C++, C#, or Visual Basic and compile them as portable libraries. Then, you can use any
supported language to call these components from your apps.
The Windows Runtime (WinRT) is a straightforward set of APIs used to build Metro style
apps. WinRT APIs are available to you in all supported languages, including JavaScript,
C++, C#, and Visual Basic. WinRT APIs are accessible to other Microsoft programming
frameworks, like the .NET Framework or Windows C Runtime Library. Traditional Windows
desktop apps can also access a subset of the new WinRT functionality, in addition to the
proven Win32 and .NET APIs.
Metro style apps with HTML5 and JavaScript take advantage of powerful advancements
in standards-based web technology. It’s now possible to build fully native Windows apps
with the simplicity and flexibility of standards-compliant HTML markup, JavaScript, and
CSS3 using the new Windows Library for JavaScript. Microsoft® Visual Studio® 11 Express
for Windows 8 provides access to an extensive library of application templates to streamline
and accelerate app development.
XAML lets you carry all of your knowledge forward in C#, Visual Basic, and C++. If you’re
familiar with Silverlight® or WPF, you’ll be right at home with Windows 8 development. The
new Windows 8 controls have been fully implemented in XAML, enabling you to build user
experiences with the new Windows personality
DirectX graphics are at the core of Windows 8. You have several options when creating
Metro style games. You can write full-screen, chrome-free games with smooth, ﬂicker-free
action using HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS3. Or, write impressive 2-D and lightweight 3-D
games using XAML with managed C# or Visual Basic. You can also take advantage of the
full processing capabilities of modern graphics hardware using native C++ and HLSL with
DirectX® 11.1.
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Powerful tools and all the resources you need
The new Windows 8 SDK and Windows Dev Center provide everything you need to start
building your apps. The Windows 8 SDK includes free versions of Microsoft® Visual Studio
11 Express for Windows 8 and Microsoft® Expression Blend® to jumpstart your development.
The Windows 8 Dev Center provides access to hundreds of sample apps, documentation,
tutorials, and guidance from the experts.
The Windows SDK for Metro style apps provides a complete development experience.
It includes only the tools and resources you need to get started quickly. Samples and
documentation have been moved online to minimize download time. The WinRT API surface
has been optimized to simplify development. And the inclusion of Microsoft® Visual Studio
11 Express for Windows 8 and Microsoft® Expression Blend® provides you with first-class
development and design tools for Metro style app development.
The Assessment and Deployment Kit (ADK) helps you measure system performance to
ensure that the software and hardware you develop is of the highest quality.
Microsoft® Visual Studio® 11 Express for Windows 8 is a free, lightweight version of the
powerful Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). Visual Studio Express is
packaged with Microsoft Expression Blend®, which now also helps you work with HTML5
and CSS3. Blend provides access to Windows controls and an integrated tool to proﬁle user
interfaces.
The Windows Driver Kit (WDK) now integrates with Visual Studio® Professional or Ultimate
editions to provide a full set of tools and interfaces to help you write, build, compile, sign,
test, debug, and verify drivers, along with tools to port your existing driver ﬁles to new
Visual Studio projects.
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A library of templates is included in Visual Studio® 11 Express for Windows 8 to speed up
development of your Windows 8 app. The templates include common layout and interaction
models, including fixed layout, grid app, navigation app, and split app. With Windows 8,
your apps get a predictable, Metro style UI using Windows 8 controls. The controls are
designed to work equally well with touch devices or mouse and keyboard. Using Windows 8
controls and templates, your apps will convey the Windows personality with an intuitive and
consistent user experience.
A new, unified Windows Dev Center (http://dev.windows.com) brings together all the
necessary tools, reference content, code samples, how-to information, and community
forums that you need to quickly get up and running with Metro style apps, desktop apps,
or driver development. The Windows 8 sample gallery includes hundreds of samples
demonstrating the breadth of the development platform, including nearly every developer
feature included in Windows 8. Community members are encouraged to add their own code
samples to the Samples Gallery.
Visual Studio templates jumpstart your app development process and help you build Metro style apps quickly
The new Windows Dev Center
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Line of business app development
Enterprise developers can create Windows 8 apps that are critical for their business and feel
confident that they maintain control over the deployment and access to their apps.
Businesses can directly sideload their Windows 8 apps onto their Windows 8 Consumer
Preview domain-joined PCs, bypassing the Windows Store...
An app created in an enterprise can stay within the corporate firewall and be centrally
managed, updated, and distributed. IT Pros can disable access to the Windows Store by
using Group Policy and specific apps within the Windows Store can be allowed or blocked
by using AppLocker®.
Windows 8 retains the power and flexibility of the Windows desktop. Many of the
innovations that were included in Windows 7 are also available in Windows 8, from Jump
Lists to Snap. The majority of your existing line-of-business apps that run on Windows 7 will
also run on Windows 8 (32-bit and 64-bit versions).
Hyper-V
Microsoft® Hyper-V® on Windows 8 is a flexible and robust client virtualization technology
that enables enterprise developers to test multiple configurations of apps and operating
systems on a single PC instead of each configuration requiring its own PC. On editions of
Windows 8 that support Hyper-V, IT Pros can test and manage multiple environments from
a single PC, perform app compatibility tests, or test without risking changes to a PC that is
actively in use. Hyper-V supports both 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows, and IT Pros
can manage their client virtual machines seamlessly.
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Broad reach,
flexibility, and
transparency of
the Windows Store
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Windows 8 and the Windows Store make it simple for millions of customers to ﬁnd, try, and
buy high-quality, certified apps from practically anywhere in the world. The Windows Store
makes it easy to distribute, update, and get paid for the apps that you develop.
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Selling in a global marketplace
The Windows Store supports the distribution of free and paid apps in hundreds of markets
worldwide, so most customers can find and install the apps they want in the language of
their choice. The Windows Store supports market-specific catalogs, tailored for customers in
specific locales, as well as market-specific payment providers. You can choose the catalogs
in which your app is listed.
Flexible business models
The Windows Store provides you with the freedom to choose the business model that’s
right for your apps. The Store provides full platform support for free apps, trials (both
time-based and feature-based), and paid apps, as well as in-app purchases. You’re free to
manage customer transactions directly using your own or third-party services for in-app
purchases and subscriptions, or use the services provided by the Windows Store. For apps
that are supported by ads, you’re free to choose the ad platform that best meets your goals.
Transparent terms and onboarding process
Test your apps and find issues before uploading them to the Windows Store using the Windows App Certification Kit
To help ensure predictability and eliminate uncertainty, app certification requirements are
provided in plain language. The Windows App Certification Kit lets you test your apps for
many issues prior to submission. If your app is rejected, you’ll get useful feedback so you
can address the issues quickly and resubmit your app for publication. And you’ll know
where your app is at every step of the certification process, from upload to final certification
and acceptance, using the dashboard.
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Your personal app dashboard
The Windows Dev Center provides a dashboard that includes many ways to improve your
apps by monitoring their success. View reports on downloads, revenue, aggregate usage,
in-app transactions, customer ratings, market trends, and crash and hang data.
You can access reports and telemetry data that show failure-based and cause-centric data
and that indicate how reliable your products are in the ﬁeld, including how often they crash
or hang. You can also compare how well your app is doing in terms of sales, downloads, and
usage compared to other similar apps (no personal or company information is revealed).
These new reports are consistent and actionable so you can ﬁnd issues quickly and efﬁciently.
Best economics
Windows 8 represents the single biggest platform opportunity available, and business terms
of the Windows Store represent a developer-first point of view. With access to millions of
potential customers around the world, development choices that let you use the skills you
already have, rich platform capabilities for building Metro style apps, business terms that
maximize your revenue opportunity, and flexible business models for the apps you create,
Windows 8 and the Windows Store provide an unprecedented opportunity for you to
imagine, build, and sell your apps.
The Windows Store dashboard includes all the tools you need to monitor your app’s success
Designed for discovery
The Windows Store catalog is indexed by search engines, so apps are easy to find. Web
search results point to a web version of the app listing page, which is based on the same
content as the Store listing. Promoting apps from your website is easy. In fact, with just a line
of markup, you can promote your app through the app button within the browser, visible to
anyone running Internet Explorer 10 Consumer Preview on Windows 8.
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Windows 8
Consumer Preview
is here
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From start to finish, we’ve reimagined Windows. It works the way you do and it keeps you
connected to the people, websites, and things you love most.
Apps are at the heart of Windows 8. Beautifully designed for your highly-connected lifestyle,
apps integrate with the services you already use. Keep in touch with friends, browse the
web, and seamlessly store data in the cloud. It’s all possible.
No matter how you work and play, you can customize Windows 8 to suit your needs.
Whether you use touch or a keyboard and mouse, Windows 8 works the way you want.
Made for business and home PCs, Windows 8 can handle your tasks. And if you’re a
developer, the Windows Store provides you with an unprecedented opportunity.
Windows 8 is everything you love about Windows—without compromise.
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